Food, fun and, of course, love from the French capital

There are many out there disappointed about their cancelled travel plans. If anyone gets it, it’s us. Yes, you can’t go to Paris right now, but you can binge watch a number of shows, films and documentaries that will take you straight to the City of Love. Here’s our selection:

Movies on Netflix, Hotstar and Amazon Prime Video for your Paris fix

I Lost My Body (Netflix)

This animated film is a delightful adaptation of the novel Happy Hand by Amélie screenwriter Guillaume Laurant. A severed hand travels across the streets and rooftops of Paris in search of its owner Naoufel, a pizza delivery man. Beautifully layered with romance, mystery and adventure, it was the first animated feature to win the Grand Prize at Critics’ Week at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. Not only is the movie brilliant in terms of design and animation, the storytelling is touching, tracing the adventures of Naoufel (voiced by Dev Patel) as he falls in love with a woman, Gabrielle (voiced by Alia Shawkat), he interacts with over an intercom during a botched delivery run.

Julie & Julia (Netflix)

Food fiends, this one’s for you. Director Nora Ephron blends a delicious narrative, drawing from two books—Julia Child’s My Life in France, an autobiography of the iconic American TV personality and cook’s time in Paris, along with Julie Powell’s Julie & Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously. The movie flits between the lives of the two women that are starkly different—Julie Powell (Amy Adams) as she recreates 524 recipes from Child’s (Meryl Streep) legendary cookbook; and Child as she wanders through Paris’ markets, shopping for fresh produce, iconic restaurants and bookstores.

Ratatouille (Netflix)

Remy has grand dreams of being a chef in Paris, the city that’s home to some of the world’s best restaurants. But there’s one tiny problem: he’s a rat. When destiny leads him to the sewers beneath the restaurant of his culinary hero, the late Auguste Gusteau, Remy decides to pursue his passion for cooking. Enlisting the help of a garbage boy, Linguini, Remy flaunts his culinary chops and wows diners, all while staying hidden. A series of hilarious and unfortunate events ensue in this Pixar animation, all leading to one happy ending.

The Devil Wears Prada (Hot Star)

This film about a boss from hell is set mainly in New York City, but the ultimate win for protagonist Andy’s (Anne Hathaway) career is a trip to Paris for fashion week. Fresh out of college with no fashion chops, Andy is thrown into a world of high-fashion glitz, complete with glamorous soirées, mysterious men and toxic colleagues. Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly, Andy’s boss and powerful magazine editor, is brilliant as the awe-inspiring terror of the fashion world. Andy eventually finds herself in Paris, a dream trip she didn’t even know she wanted. It’s here where she finds her own voice and makes a liberating life choice.

Netflix and Amazon Prime shows that will take you to Paris

Killing Eve (Amazon Prime Video)

Based on the novellas by Luke Jennings, Killing Eve traces the cat-and-mouse game between MI6 operative Eve Polastri (Sandra Oh) and assassin Villanelle (Jodie Comer) and how they eventually become obsessed with each other. Created by Phoebe Waller-Bridge of Fleabag fame, the storyline jumps between London, where Polastri is based, to wherever in Europe Villanelle’s assignment is. The result is clever, dark, entertaining and comic, all at once. Throughout the series, viewers are taken back to Villanelle’s shabby-chic Parisian apartment and given glimpses of her neighbourhood, where she traipses in outfits that wouldn’t be out of place on a magazine cover.

Call My Agent (Netflix)

A good way to brush up your French, Call My Agent! (Dix Pour Cent) details the troubles and daily goings-on at one of Paris’ biggest talent agencies, ASK. A stellar star cast of Isabelle Adjani, Monica Bellucci and Isabelle Huppert comes together to create a world of harried, fire-fighting agents, miserable assistants, petulant directors and formidable talent. But this isn’t just a drama on showbiz. It’s a funny yet beautiful ode to the world of cinema.

Documentary to watch if you miss Paris

Chef’s Table: France (Netflix)

In this season, Chef’s Table—the genre-defining food show that delves into the lives and kitchens of some of the greatest chefs across the world—goes to France. Get an up close and personal with renowned chef Alain Passard as he takes viewers through his journey and inspiration for L’Arpège, his three Michelin-starred vegetarian fine-dining restaurant in Paris. Also watch culinary geniuses such as Adeline Grattard, the chef and co-owner of Yam’Tcha, another fine-dining spot in Paris that treats seasonal French ingredients with Chinese techniques.